Kevin Williams, 29, has been elevated from assistant to head coach, as he replaces veteran coach Bryan Giles. Williams has served as an assistant at Murphy for six seasons -- including the last four as pitching coach -- and he doesn't foresee big changes to the program.

"Coach Giles and I are very similar in what we believe in," said Williams, a 1999 Murphy graduate who played collegiately at Southern Union Community College and South Alabama. "I'm excited and I look forward to the challenge. We had 12 seniors (in 2010), and I look forward to working with the young guys."

Giles stepped down in April to pursue a career in school administration. He recently completed his administrative certification and hopes to become an assistant principal.

This will be Williams' first head-coaching job, and he gets the task of following Giles, who led the Panthers to four playoff appearances and Grand Bay to a state title, compiling a 414-269 record in 21 years at Grand Bay, Bryant and Murphy.

The highlight of Giles' career came in 1997, when he led Grand Bay to the 4A state title two years before the school merged with Alba to form Bryant.

Williams takes over after helping the Panthers finish 16-17 and advance to the first round of the AHSAA Class 6A playoffs in 2010.

"We did feel like he would be a good fit," Murphy athletic director Ronn Lee said. "He knows the kids and has been with many of them since they were younger."